[1] She received a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude, in 1990 from the College of William & Mary.

She received a Juris Doctor cum laude in 1993 from Harvard Law School.

[3][1] On June 25, 2012, President Barack Obama, on the recommendation of Senator Chuck Schumer,[4] nominated Failla to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, to the seat vacated by Judge Denise Cote who assumed senior status on December 15, 2011.

On January 2, 2013, her nomination was returned to the President, due to the adjournment sine die of the Senate.

Her nomination was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 14, 2013, by voice vote.